Dr. Charles Magee is a trailblazer in agricultural science and engineering and a distinguished NAI Senior Member. A true pioneer with impactful contributions to the food and agricultural system, Dr. Magee was inducted into the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture Hall of Fame in 2020 and holds an impressive 15 U.S. patents, one co-patent, and three pending patents — a testament to his relentless pursuit of innovation. Read below as he shares what inspires him to be an inventor, the value of STEM education, and more!
Q: What words would you use to describe yourself?
A: I am a bucolic rustic from Jefferson Davis County (Prentiss), Mississippi who reached the academic apex of his profession. Based on traditional educational metrics, I probably should not have a PhD degree in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from a renowned Ivy League university, Cornell University. In my 12 years of primary schooling, I was only able to attend school, for a full year, for two years of the 12 years. Segregation and discrimination laws in my county prohibited Negro children from attending schooling for the full year until 1965.
Q: What inspired you, and continues to inspire you, to be an inventor?
A: My role model is the late inventor, Dr. George W. Carver, and I wanted to follow in his foot-steps and/or exceed Dr. Carver. In high school, during Negro History Week, I used to fantasize about having my picture on the bulletin board just like Dr. Carver. Further, as a teenager, I would always try to make my home-made toys more efficient and easier to construct. I feel like it was pre-determined that I would one day be on a Black History Month bulletin board.
Q: Why are you passionate about being an innovator?
A: I am passionate about being an innovator because there is always a better and easier way to solve a problem or construct a device or apparatus. Plus, I believe that knowledge is the only commodity you should not keep for yourself; knowledge should be used to serve and/or benefit humanity. Too many people believe that old adage that “Knowledge is power.” It is the application of knowledge is what gives you power. Graveyards are filled with powerless people who had knowledge, but did not do anything significant with their knowledge. I want to be both successful and significant.
Q: In your spare time, in addition to working in your field, what do you love to do?
A: I love to fish, bowl, play cards, watch sports, go to the casinos, and do wood working.
Q: What advice do you have for innovators looking to take their innovations from bench to market?
A: It is very difficult and expensive to get a prototype made and tested. Further, it is not easy to reach decision makers in the private sector.
Q: What do you feel the value of STEM education is, especially to young innovators?
A: A STEM education provides the foundation for young innovators to design, explain, and analyze their innovations. Also, a STEM education will allow young innovators to transfer their analytical knowledge and skills to different situations.
Q: What do you feel is the importance of having diverse perspectives in creating innovations that benefit society?
A: We all have different life experiences and see societal problems differently. Thus, diverse perspectives might lead to a simpler and better solution to a complex societal problem. Further, diverse perspectives might prevent innovators from making some serious culture mistakes in their creations.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self, or young innovators, pursuing a career in research and/or innovation?
A: If I could turn back the hands of time, I would advise myself and young innovators not to restrict their thinking just to their profession because the brain is the only vessel that can never be filled.
Dr. Magee was inducted as an NAI Senior Member in 2022. To read more about Dr. Magee and his work, visit: https://ow.ly/xfLP50V2LEf